Mexico Vs. Venezuela: Chepo’s Honeymoon Ends Early

The first match of the Jose Manuel “Chepo” de la Torre-era of the Mexico National Team could not have gone much better. The 3-1 win over Paraguay on Saturday was greeted with near universal approval. Mexico had, after all, soundly beaten a team that had advanced to the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals.

The follow-up performance was not nearly as encouraging. Facing a Venezuela team that has never even been to the World Cup, El Tri was forced to settle for a 1-1 tie on Tuesday. Mexico dominated this match, as well, but could not find the second goal that would allow their fans to rest easy. Predictably, that performance received a very different receptions, as FMF State of Mind, SB Nation’s Mexico-centric blog, detailed:

After the euphoric press coverage following the 3-1 victory over Paraguay on Saturday, this was a firm crash back down to earth. Boos could be heard at the final whistle although it wasn’t quite that bad.